Life with the Akatsuki
by Kaizen Kitty
Summary: Rika leaves her home town for Konoha whishing to learn ninjutsu , but gets intercepted by the Akatsuki. eventually Itachi & Deidara love triangle. Takes place during time gap between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Dei/ItaxOC
1. The Fire Dance

**The Fire Dance**

_Dearest mom and dad,_

_Don't worry about me, I'm leaving for Konohagakure to start my ninjutsu training. I'm truly sorry it has to be this way, but I cannot be a doctor. My dream is to become the best fighter in the world, that's why I must learn ninjutsu! Please, forgive me for fighting for my dream._

_Love,_

_Rika_

A young girl was walking through the forest. Behind her, the last remnants of a village hid under the horizon. She turned around one more time. It was nearly dawn now, birds were excitedly chirping above her head. The girl was here, in the forest, but her mind was miles away. It was lingering in that village, the town where she'd grown up.

Suddenly Rika was shaken out of her reflection, as yellowy colors began filling the sky. 'Akatsuki…daybreak! I have to get out of here now! No time to waist.' Rika thought to herself, as she turned on her heels and ran.

* * *

><p>"Let's see what they have here, hmm?"<p>

"Sure." Sasori replied, as Deidara pulled him to a little restaurant. He didn't care anyways: the great thing about being a puppet was that you didn't have to wonder what you were going to eat.

It was unusual for them to be freely walking through a village at daytime, not wearing their customary Akatsuki cloaks. That made Deidara extra excited to Sasori's further irritation. He never wanted to be a babysitter, especially not to a hormone crazed teenager… Even though leader had told them not to draw any attention to themselves by using jutsu, Deidara's hands were itching towards the clay in his pouch. Any minute now and something would be blown up. 'Why am I stuck with him on my day off?' Sasori pondered.

Crashing into Deidara, Sasori realized that he should have payed more attention to his surroundings. His partner just stood there staring, eyes wide, and his mouth slightly agape.

"Deidara?" Sasori waved his hand in front of the boy's face…it didn't seem to do the trick. 'How uncharacteristic.' Sasori mused. Then his eyes slowly followed Deidara's gaze. The puppet master's eyebrows slightly rose from his bored expression: he beheld a street performance…a rather good street performance… A girl was dancing in the middle of the square. Her movements were so graceful and smooth, as if her body was made out of water or some fluid substance, constantly changing shape. And she danced whith such vigour, it seemed as though she was emitting sparks. 'No! She really is emitting sparkes and flames! …is this some kind of jutsu?' Sasori wondered. He jerked his head around as he saw Deidara – still in total trance – walking up towards the artist. 'God no! He isn't trying to draw attention to himself, is he?' But Sasori calmed down when he saw Deidara walking up to a little box the performer had put on the ground, and putting some money into it. Flashing him a grateful smile, the girl continued her dance with the utmost precision. They stayed to watch for a long time – Deidara practically glued to the spot, Sasori with a slightly less bored complexion – ,untill Sasori finally managed to pull his partner away.


	2. Rape!

**Rape!**

Rika took a deep breath, rubbing her tummy satisfactory. A huge smile was planted on her face. Twisting her chopsticks in her right hand, she took another salmon roll and dipped it in soy sauce. This was the life! Her parents would never let her eat sushi at home: they called it 'fancy food', and insisted that she ate something more 'substantial'. That way she only ate sushi on rare occasions, and never grew tired of the dish.

"Would you care for anything else, miss?" a waiter asked her politely.

"Oh! No thanks! Could you just give me the check?" she said smiling, and returned to her dinner.

Unbeknownst to her though, a pair of purple eyes studied her from three tables further. 'Nice ass…' the owner of the eyes thought.

* * *

><p>"Danna! I'm hungry! Hm!" Deidara groaned.<p>

"So?" Sasori shot him a wondering look.

"Can't you buy something to eat!" the teenager yelled at him.

"It's not my fault that you waisted all your money on the girl." Sasori calmly stated – he wasn't planning on giving him any money! The kid got what he deserved.

"You're mean Sasori-danna! Hm!" Deidara said glaring at his partner. Folding his hands in front of his chest, he turned away from Sasori and sulked under his breath. By now he knew better than to insult Sasori to his face…

* * *

><p>Rika looked up from her now empty sushi plate. 'Why do good things always come to an end?' she questioned. It was already dark when she stepped onto the street. She stopped, and bent her head up looking at the night sky.<p>

"Aaauw!" Rika screamed, feeling a strong pain surge through her head. 'Could I have been even more stupid?' were the thoughts that were running through her brain. 'All alone in a foreign village at night, and I didn't control the area around me?'

The attacker had pulled her long loose hair from behind, and now he had such a strong hold on her, that she couldn't break free.

"Help! Somebody help me! HEEEELP!" she screeched at the top of her lungs.

"Sshh, babe, you'll wake up the entire village. There's nobody here…just you and me." a smooth, seductive voice purred in her ear.

"Let me GO!" she yelled, struggling to get free. But it was all in vain. His grip just tightened, and he chuckled at her pathetic attempts. She had lost the second she let her guard down to gaze in the sky.

* * *

><p>"HELP! RAPE! Save me!"<p>

"Fuck, you're back to screaming again… Who told you I was gonna rape you? Anyway, you just gave me a great idea: I'll rape you first, then kill you." the man said, dragging Rika into the woods.

These last words put the girl under a powerful, paralyzing fear. Timidly, she whimpered: "Why do you want to k-kill me?"

He looked deep into her ash grey eyes, his slickened back silvery hair shining in the moonlight, fear was written all over her pretty face. 'What a shame, she's so beautiful… Oh well, at least I'll get to fuck her.' the man thought.

"Why, to sacrifice you to Jashin-sama ofcourse." he replied smirking.


	3. Fight for your life

**Fight for your life**

'This is for REAL! I don't want to die yet! I'm too young! I must become the world's greatest fighter first!' Rika thought. 'What kind of a fighter am I if just some random guy can rape me! And what a humiliation it would be if my body was found! Can't I even live one week without my parents?'

Although Rika was quite the quick thinker, Hidan was quick too. He had already torn her shirt off, and was unbuckling her belt. She wouldn't be needing her shirt anymore, so why waste time on playing nice? Just as he finished the belt, a strong inexpressable pain came over him. Using this opportunity to her advantage, Rika bolted out from under his grasp. Hidan was rolling on the ground, clutching his groin and cursing away like there was no tomorrow.

"You BITCH! Now you're really going to get it!" Hidan seethed at her.

Clever enough not to stay and watch the performance, Rika had ran off the second she got free. Adrenaline rushing through her veins, spurring her on to pick up speed.

* * *

><p>Just as she thought she'd lost him, and had slowed down her pace…the man appeared in front of her, weilding an enormous three bladed scythe! 'This is not just your random guy! He's a ninja!' it dawned on her.<p>

Now Hidan was really pissed. And if there were people who you didn't want to be around when they were pissed, then Hidan was one of them. Slinging the scythe over his head, he lunged at her at top speed.

Growing up in a non-shinobi village can really be a drawback if you want to learn ninjutsu. Although her mother had been a kunoichi, she refused to teach Rika any of her skills because 'it would only put her in danger'. But being a stubborn kid, Rika found a way around her overprotective parents. This way materialized itself in her sensei of self defence: he wasn't a ninja either, but since his teacher had been a hidden rain shinobi, he knew a few water style jutsu. Rika had almost lost hope in her dream when she wasn't able to perform a single technique he had taught her. But when he had urged her to stay focused and continue trying, she made an interesting discovery…

As Hidan came in Rika stepped to the side, dodging his attack, and kicked him hard near his solar plexis. Darting back to a low fighting stance, she formed some handsigns, and jumped at him with a double flying kick. Only this time she didn't hit him; two fireballs came at him.

Hidan dodged the flames with ease, and continued lashing out at Rika with his mighty weapon, yelling out curse words like they were battle cries.

Finally, now almost fully exhausted, Rika realised that it was no use… Al that dodging and jumping had made her pretty tired, while her attacker was still as fit as a brussle sprout. 'I can't win this if I fight harder, I've got to fight smarter.' she thought. 'I've got it!' Rika smirked, looking at the three bladed scythe. She didn't move an inch when Hidan swung the weapon at her. Instead, she lunged in at the scythe.

"AAAARGHH! Damn you motherfuck'n bitch!" Hidan yelped in pain. The scythe had fallen out of his hands. Or more specifically: he had dropped it, for it was extremely hot. Yes, Rika had heated it up.

"Can't do much without your beloved weapon, ey?" Rika smirked triumphantly, and delivered a final blow to Hidan's head.


	4. Join Us

**Join Us**

Her emotions were raging, and she was out of control. 'How dare he! The bloody bastard!' Rika went all out on a defenseless, knocked out Hidan. Knees in the groin, punches in his gut, whatever little she had of mercy for this guy was now utterly obliterated. All the surroundings blurred to grey, and all she could see was that man! That horrible man!

"You're pretty good, to have beaten Hidan." a deep voice said behind her. Suddenly woken from her fit of rage, she spun around.

"Relax, I'm not going to attack you." a tall, redheaded man said. "I'm Pein, who are you?"

"Uuhmm…" unsure if she could trust him or not, she stood up cautiously. Rika tried not to look at his piercings – those things were disgusting! – but it was hard to find a free spot on his face to look at. "I'm Rika Yamasu." 'This is bad…at night, in the forest, all alone. I'm already worn out by the first guy, and now this creep shows up?' She mentally cursed herself: 'God! Why did I have to tell him my real name? I could have just lied!'

He seemed to sense her tension. "I'm sorry, I was just looking for Hidan – I work with him." and he looked away.

At that moment Rika realised that she was still shirtless! A scorching blush covered her face, and she frantically started covering herself up with her hands.

"Don't freak out." the heavily studded guy said.

"Why would I – ahh!" Rika was interrupted by Pein taking off his shirt. Instinctively, she inched backwards.

"I told you not to freak out." Pein repeated, handing her his shirt. "Here, put this on."

"Oh! Thank you!" she said grabbing onto the shirt. When she had put it on, he turned to face her again.

"I'll make you a deal. If you join my organization, I'll make sure Hidan leaves you alone." Pein said calmly.

"Huh? Why would I need your protection? I just beat him!" Rika protested.

"You did? Tell me, is he dead?" Pein asked.

The question surprised Rika. "Uhh…I don't think so… It wasn't my objective to kill him…"

"Let me tell you something. Hidan is very persistent: when something is denied to him, he just craves it more. Are you prepared to be on your guard every day and night? Searching the shadows for lurking figures?"

Rika gulped. She looked at Hidan. He was still there…lying on the ground.

"Go ahead. Kill him." Pain encouraged her.

Shivering slightly, Rika tiptoed over to Hidan. Once again she gulped. 'Can I really do this? Kill him? It's wrong! He's utterly defenseless!' she paused. 'But if I don't…' Then she made up her mind, and pulled out a kunai. Determination flashed over her face, as she dropped to the ground and viciously slid his throat.

Rika just sat there, shuddering… 'I've killed another human being…God!' She looked at her hands. 'The hands of a murderer.'

Pain shook her out of her shock. "You think you've killed him? Don't you?"

Surprised, she looked up. 'What the Hell!' Hidan was towering over her, smirking back.

"Leave her alone Hidan." came the harsh words of Pein.

"Leader-sama? But –" 


	5. New Recruit

**New Recruit**

Konan groaned under her breath. What could be taking Pein so long? It was time to get out of here, before one of these five idiots would blow their cover. Well, minus one, she wasn't worried about Itachi. He just sat there indifferently, seemingly possessing an interminable patience. Actually, Itachi's aggravation exceeded Konan's by far, but she would never know that… Her eyes scanned the lobby of the little inn they had stayed at. Five grumpy and sleepy faces crossed her gaze, most of them had bags under their eyes. 'And these are S-ranked criminals? They look so damn pathetic. Jeez…the Akatsuki is really loosing its edge these days.' she thought. 'I should have seen this coming when Orochimaru introduced colored nailpolish to the standard uniform…' she shook her head supressing the memory.

Just then, the front door cracked open, summoning everyone's attention. Pein came in, closely followed by Zetsu and some other person. The door slammed shut with a loud bang, causing the old lady at the reception desk to cringe in irritation. 'Were is Hidan?' Konan was about to ask, when the door burst open violently.

"We're back fuckers! Aawww, how sweet! You've all been waiting for me." Hidan said walking in, wearing his trademark smirk and spreading his arms out like he was a celebrity.

Ten faces glared back at him: nine Akatsuki members, and one inn owner as the door had crashed shut loudly once again.

"Shut up Hidan." leader ordered sternly. Hidan knew that look Pein was giving him. It had 'I'm not to be messed with' written all over his face. So Hidan complied, and assumed an obedient pose.

"Everyone, I want you to meet our newest team member: Rika Yamasu." he gestured at the person that had come in with them. "Now Zetsu and I are going to collect our stuff, so you can wait here – get accquainted."

"Does that mean Hidan's out?" Kakuzu perked up.

"No, what gave you that idea?" leader frowned. Hidan sure was irritating, but he wasn't going to kick anyone out of the Akatsuki. Once an Akatsuki, always an Akatsuki. And despite his arrogance, Hidan did get the job done.

"You didn't mention Hidan going up to his room to collect his stuff." Kakuzu answered.

"That's his punishment for screwing up my good night's sleep – he'll go without taking a shower. And thanks for reminding me, Kakuzu, he will need his stuff, so…" Pein scanned the room, and returned his gaze to Kakuzu. "…you can collect them for him." with that, leader turned around and headed for the stairs, not waiting to see Kakuzu's reaction.

'Am I punished too…? Why can't I take a shower! I'm the one who was nearly raped, and had been fighting all night!' Rika thought angrily. But she didn't dare to say anything, these people were dangerous…better to keep them happy. And she forced a smile on her face.

'Yes, the Akatsuki is definitely slacking down… Since when did we become a daycare centre! What in God's name made Pein take this little squirt? She must be around thirteen or something…and her body is so fragile! She has no muscles at all! Look at her! She's smiling!" Konan groaned in dismay at the bubblyness and shiny rays of sunlight the girl seemed to emmit. 'She knows nothing of pain – real pain.'


	6. First Impressions

**First Impressions**

The 'squirt' proceeded to go around and shake everybody's hand, not once loosing her broad smile. 'She has an awefully big mouth! That smile of hers practically reaches her ears!' Konan looked apaulled. She shook Rika's hand coldly when the latter turned to her. Yet the squirt didn't seem to notice it, and continued babbling on about herself. Konan wasn't even listening. 'And she's arrogant too… Ugh, I already hate her!'

Deidara couldn't believe his eyes…was he under some kind of genjutsu? Or maybe this was just a dream. He usually had very bright dreams, almost indestinguishable from reality. 'Yes, whatever it is, it's probably not real. It's already highly unlikely that Pein-sama would hire an new recruit, and he certainly wouldn't take a street performer. Relax! This isn't really happening. It can't be.' Deidara willed himself not to blush as he stared at the 'squirt'.

"Hi! I'm Rika! And who are you?" the girl said as she shook Kisame's hand.

A bit taken aback by her forwardness, Kisame smiled and hesitated for a moment. "Eeh..I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, but call me Kisame!" he said. 'She's so warm and friendly… It's nice to finally have a bright light in this dismal place, but I wonder if she'll survive here.' the 'shark man' thought.

'The true artist is also creative in his subconcious, but this time I've outdone myself…' Deidara mused in self-satistaction. The girl was having a vivid conversation with Kisame…the vicious warrior who was known for killing his own comrades!

"So your sword absorbs chakra, Kisame-san? Cool! Does it do anything else?" the squirt asked. 'Wrong move: now she'll get it…' Deidara expected Kisame to get angry at the girl for insulting his Samehada. After all, she had practically ridiculed it with her last question.

"Oh! No, eeh…it just absorbs chakra. I do the rest!" Kisame replied with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.

This dream was beyond weird! 'Could Itachi be using his illusions on me again? No way! He doesn't know about the girl. Does he! Maybe Sasori told him!' Deidara shot his partner an angry glance. 'No, no! Danna would never do that…' a confused look washed over Deidara's face as he pressed his lips together.

* * *

><p>"Hey! I know you! You're the guy that gave me the huge tip yesterday night!" Rika said walking up to a blond boy. He had long hair and his eyes were of a bluish grey colour. 'Must be around my age, I guess. Is he a criminal? Doesn't really look like a bad boy to me…' she wondered as she came closer.<p>

"I'm Rika. What's your name?" she said grabbing his hand in the process.

"…Uh…I…um" the boy looked down at his feet. 'Her hand feels so real! This is not a dream!'

Rika cocked her head to one side. 'He certainly doesn't act like a bad boy…'

"I'm Deidara…hmm." he finally said. Rika was feeling pretty awkward now. It had been easier with the other members, but since her early childhood she had always been at a loss when communicating with shy people.

"Eeuh…nice to meet you Deidara!" she said pulling her hand back. The blonde looked up at her. His cheeks were a little rosy.

"How old are you, hmm?" he asked curiosly.

Rika raised her eyebrows: she hadn't expected that question. "I'm fifteen. How old are you?"


	7. Everlasting Art

**Everlasting Art**

"Sixteen. Hm." he looked away again. 'He's kinda cute, but the long hair is quite the turn-off…' Rika thought studying Deidara more precisely '…it makes him look like a girl. And I don't like sissies. Why doesn't he cut it? Could he be gay?'

"What's your speciality?" she asked him instead.

"Oh!" Deidara shook his head up. 'This is not a dream – I could feel her hand! And it's not genjutsu either. It's way too realistic… She is really here, talking to me!' realization kicked in, his eyes widened and he just stood there (as if he'd been paralyzed by Sasori's poison).

"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand that! I'd go for the same strategy – keep my abilities secret. Knowledge is power!" Rika said when she didn't get a response from the boy.

"Deidara's not that smart, Rika-chan." Sasori butted in. Deidara gave a releived smile to his danna. "He usually gets lost in his passion for art and forgets all about tactics." Sasori continued, grinning broadly. Now that Deidara was totally out of it, he could freely make fun of him in front of the girl he liked! 'Teenagers…so clueless!'

"You're an artist?" Rika asked the blonde. 'It made sense – artists usually were the introverted type.' she thought.

But Deidara hadn't regained his speech yet, so Sasori answered for him: "He's a wannabe artist. He still doesn't understand the true meaning of art! I try to instruct him, but he's so stubborn… Never listens."

"What is the true meaning of art, Sasori-san?" Rika asked the redhead.

"True art is everlasting beauty. Only things that are worthy enough of eternal life can be called works of art." the puppet master enlightened her.

"What do you mean? According to this definition, true art doesn't exist." Rika questioned.

Sasori's smirk of superiority vanished from his face. "What? Why wouldn't true art exist?" he asked her in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Because nothing in this world is eternal or everlasting. Everything is constantly changing around us, and eventually all things come to an end." Rika answered. Deidara inwardly jumped in happyness! 'She's not only pretty, but she also shares my view on art!'

Sasori twiched. "Puppets are everlasting." he interjected.

"Yeah, but…aren't they…dead?" Rika raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm a puppet. Do I look dead to you?" Sasori said. At this she stared at him in disbelief.

"You're kidding me." she stated sceptically.

Sasori pulled up his sleeves revealing two weird arms. They didn't exactly look human…having joints in them that were held together with screws.

"Touch me." he put his arms forward.

"I already shook your hand, remember?" Rika retorted "You felt pretty human to me…"

"I was wearing thick gloves. Touch me now." he repeated. Rika hesitated. Then she stepped forward, and felt his hands. 'They're wooden!' Now she was utterly shocked (to Sasori's pleasure).

"See. I wasn't messing with you. I really am a puppet." he said smugly.

"So, you're entirely made out of wood?" she asked him.

"Yes."

"Wood isn't everlasting: eventually it will rot away. So according to your definition, puppets aren't true works of art." the girl replied.


	8. The grass is greener

**The grass is greener…**

Before one of Akatsuki's artists could react to her blunt statement, Pein had come up to them.

"Sorry Rika, it has come to my attention that you haven't had a shower either. Konan, can you borrow Rika some clothes? The shower room is on the first floor, at the end of the hall."

Rika nodded. "Thanks Pein-sama." and she walked over to Konan.

"Thank you very much Konan-san! I'll be very carefull with these!" she said as the older woman handed her the clothes. 'God! Can she be even more annoying?' Konan sighed.

"It's okay kid, you can keep them." Konan replied. 'I was planning on ditching that outfit anyway…the clothes are old and badly fitted.' she smirked inwardly. 'Serves the banshee right!'

Ignorant of what was going on in Konan's head, Rika skipped to the stairs.

* * *

><p>The hot sun burned down mercilessly on a group of shinobi, all clad in black. 'I hate summer!' Konan growled somewhere within herself as she prodded along. Sweaty, smelly, and out of breath. Her once beautiful shiny blue hair was stuck to her forehead. She looked to her right. 'Grrr… How could she be so happy! Attention-seeker!' "Hmpf!"<p>

It had been three days since Rika had joined the group. They were on their way to the main base, and had to cross a small part of the Fire Country. There were practically no trees here, it was just a vast array of grass flowing in the wind. Although Rika had pleaded their leader to have mercy on them, and let them take off their cloaks, Pein had not assented. 'Boy, Deidara is lucky! He gets to fly up high in the cool breeze on his clay bird…we have to walk down here in the heat! I feel like I'm in a microwave!' Rika complained in thoughts. Then Kisame turned around checking up on her. She instantly flashed him a brave smile, hoping he hadn't seen her mope. She was a fighter! She was going to prove to everyone here that she could take a hit!

Deidara was panting on his clay bird: the heat was unbearable! He gagged as a strand of hair was blown into his mouth once again. As much as he had wanted to take his cloak off and tie up his hair – for he had the opportunity: leader couldn't see him – he now realised it wasn't such a good idea. "Aarghh!" it hurt too much to move. He had been stupid enough to take his shirt off the first day of their journey. The result: heavy sunburns. So now he was covering up as much skin as possible. But the stinged red skin still hurt badly! Not to mention the uneasyness of flying with hair in front of your face – he was used to one eye being covered up, but this was a completely different story. 'Damn you Sasori-danna! You knew about this! Man, I wish I could walk on the ground right now!' he was so sweaty in the little cocoon he'd wrapped himself in, it felt like swimming!

Sasori smirked knowingly. Even Itachi's face had a little bit of irritation in it. It felt good being a puppet! No sweat to worry about… And Deidara, stupid as he was, had taken his shirt off on the first day! Every person at least remotely familiar to deserts knew you should cover from the sun. He sniggerd… 'And I grew up in a desert.'


	9. From a distance

**Author's note:** If you guys wonder what Rika looks like, check out this sketch I made of her by copying the following link to your browser:

http: / / kaizenkitty . deviantart . com / gallery / 34179118# / d4ivrpt

(without spaces in between - I had to add them, because this site wouldn't let me paste a link in my story...Grrrr!)

**And thank you for reading and reviewing my story!**

* * *

><p><strong>From a distance<strong>

Long, dark brown hair flowed down on her shoulders. It wasn't cut in any particular style, her hair just dangled wildly all around her. Her eyebrows were of a slightly lighter colour and, not being bushy enough, were almost invisible. She didn't epilate them though. From under long dark lashes two deep poules of grey protruded. But they seemed to change colour, so he didn't really know with certainty. She had a funny nose… somewhat reminding him of a pig. 'But she probably wouldn't like me calling her 'Piggy'…' he thought to himself. She didn't wear any make up: her lips had a natural pinky colour, and would get white when she pressed them together. His gaze slowly went down… Sadly enough, the rest of her body was camougphlaged under her Akatsuki cloak. And she never took it off in the common room… She wasn't really tall, but she was no shorty either. He estimated her to be a little taller than his danna. But then again, he didn't know for sure… After the 'Hidan-incident' she had been extremely cautious of her surroundings, and never let anyone approach her. Except Kisame, ofcourse. 'Why is he so close to her? Why can't I be close to her like that?' Deidara sighed, and looked out of the window. He had been sitting in a corner of the common room, supposedly reading a magazine, but was actually checking Rika out.

"Like what you see?"

Deidara bolted up from his position, only to catch Sasori towering over him. His partner had made a habit of tormenting him with double-meaning puns. He glared back at Sasori.

"What were you reading?" Sasori asked innocently, acting as if his first question didn't have a deeper meaning.

"An article on nitroglycerine, hmm." Deidara answered, choosing to ignore the pun.

"Ahh…interesting…" Sasori shifted and started to read over his shoulder.

"You said explosions weren't works of art, danna, why would you be interested? Hmm?" Deidara asked a little annoyed. He didn't want to read this damned article, he wanted to spy on Rika, but couldn't do it with Sasori watching over his shoulder.

"You're right, it isn't art. But it has practical use…maybe something I could encorporate in my puppet design…" Sasori trailed off.

* * *

><p>Rika stood up. She looked at her fingernails – they seriously needed repainting! She had tried various colours since she had joined the Akatsuki: first red, then pink, orange, white, black, even grey. Blue was her favourite colour, but she knew it wouldn't fit with the cloak: red and blue didn't match…in her opinion. 'Then again, why not give it a try?' she asked herself, and stretching, decided she'd go with blue. She saw Deidara sitting in one corner of the room. After two weeks, she still didn't really know how to approach him or behave around the guy… 'I was always so bad at making friends with kids of my own age… Oh, well.' She smiled awkwardly at him, wondering if she should wave or say bye. He gave a shy smile back. 'Weird kid… Don't know what to think of him.' as she turned and left the common room.<p>

* * *

><p>"You know, Deidara, girls usually want boys to make the first move…" Sasori commented on the rather awkward scene.<p>

"DANNA! What are you getting at! Hhmmm!" Deidara seethed jumping up from his chair and facing his partner, fists clenched.

Sasori chuckled. "You know I'm just trying to help, I'm giving you invaluable advice! If you're just as stubborn on this topic as you are on your 'art' – " here Sasori used his fingers to make brackets in the air " – , then you'll just remain a wannabe lover just as you are a wannabe artist."

Deidara couldn't take it anymore, and went all out on Sasori!


	10. Nail Art

**Nail Art**

'What a weird criminal organization…I've been with them for two weeks now, and I still haven't been sent on a single mission.' Rika pondered as she let her nails dry. She had painted them a nice, light, sky blue. 'Maybe they doubt my loyalty…' she held back a laugh remembering the entrance ritual to her sorority at med school. After she had refused to take part in any of those stupid activities, she'd received a letter from the 'Owls': she had passed… She felt a little sorry for the girls that had been tricked into doing some horrible shit to get in. But it was also pretty hilarious at the same time... 'I guess I can consider the Hidan-incident as an equivalent to that…' her nails had dried by now. 'Hmmm… How about painting some pattern on top? Wait! This really is absurd! I'm a freaking S-ranked criminal now, and all I think about is nail polish! Come to think of it, since I joined them, nobody has been sent on a mission yet. So it's most likely not related to me…' She layed down on her bed, and looked up at the ceiling. 'What would my parents think if they knew where I was now…? No! I don't want to think of it! I had no choice…' she thought bitterly, fighting back the tears that seemed to drop involuntarily.

* * *

><p>"Knock knock!"<p>

"You could just knock on the door you know…" Rika answered unimpressed.

"Yeah, but then you wouldn't know who it was, and you'd have to ask. This saves time." the voice said. She chuckled, he was right, it saved her some time and especially anxiety. She was still always on the look out for Hidan: you never knew it with him. Better to take extra measures, than to be sorry…

"Come in Kisame!"

The door opened and a man, peculiarily looking much like a shark, came in. He sat down on a chair at her desk. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"I started going through this scroll on basic jutsu you lent me. I'm currently struggling with the transportation technique or 'kawarimi no jutsu'…am I saying it right?"

"I guess so. But the point is to do the techique right – names are of less importance." Kisame answered.

"Kay, you wanna see me screw up a transportation, and end up on the ceiling or between the walls again?" Rika asked in glee.

"No, Rika, I want to see you do it right. You should take your ninjutsu training seriously." Kisame said in what seemed distinctly familiar to a fartherly tone to Rika…

"Then I guess I can't do much right now…" her eyes lit up, eyebrows rising "I could set Hidan's room on fire again…"

"NO. Don't even think about it! I was only joking that time, I never thought you'd actually consider doing it!" he said sternly.

"Aaawwww…"

"Then I'll leave you alone, I see you've got a lot of training to do. You'd better get started!" Kisame said standing up.

Rika just looked back at him with an expression that she hoped conveyed the message: 'Do I look like someone you can order around?'

* * *

><p>Ich, nii, san, shii, go, rock, seich, hach, kyuu, jyuu! Rika looked at her nails once again. She had painted the kanji of the first ten numbers on her nails with a midnight dark blue. 'And Sasori thinks he's so creative… I bet he never thought of this!' she mused happily before finally falling asleep.<p> 


	11. Teamed Up

**Teamed Up**

"Everybody's present?" Pein asked, looking around his office. "Good, then we can begin. The first order of things will be the announcement of Rika's partner." he paused, remembering the conversation he had had earlier…

* * *

><p><em>"I think you should be her partner." Pein said.<em>

_"Why me?"_

_Noting the irritation in Konan's voice, he answered: "For starters, because you're a woman."_

_Konan twitched at the sexist comment, so he quickly added: "I know that's not a valid reason, but I promised her protection from any kind of harrassment…I think she'd trust you more than one of the guys."_

_"She's pretty close with Kisame, isn't she?" Konan interjected._

_"Yeah, but I can't separate him and Itachi – they work well together. And I can't add her to their team either – it would be too big of a crowd. Our team is the only one I can break up."_

_Konan thought for a moment. "Why don't you pair her up with Zetsu? He doesn't have a team too."_

_"ZETSU!" Pain jumped back in horror. "He'll eat her alive! Have you forgotten the reason why he doesn't have a team?"_

_'That's the point: kill two birds with one stone. Stay with Pein, and get rid of the squirt!' Konan mused._

_"Anyway, Zetsu's talents lie in the field of observation – a partner would only get in the way. We need him as a spy." Pein continued._

_"Don't you think their talents fit well together: Zetsu's sensory skills and Rika's skill in combat? They also complement eachother elementally. Rika uses Fire style jutsus, while Zetsu can use both Earth and Water." Konan pointed out._

_"Hmmm… I guess you have a point there." the leader sighed "But what if she doesn't survive his, uhh…appetite!"_

_"That kid's a strong one, I'm certain she can handle it." Konan lied._

_"If you say so…"_

* * *

><p>Deidara perked up at Pein's statement. 'Could leader be adding her to our team!' he hoped desperately.<p>

"Rika will work with…" Pein hesitated once more seeing the excitement in the young girl's eyes. 'It could destroy her…maybe I could add her to Kisame's team anyway… Konan most certainly doesn't want her.'

The little assembly in his office was getting anxious. "Oh just FUCKING tell us already! Enough with the DAMN FREEK'N dramatic pauses!" Hidan brawled out.

"Silence!" Pein commanded.

His audience fell still at once. Only Hidan's gulping was audible. Pein stared each one of them in the eye.

"No more interruptions! You all listen to me, and obey MY ORDERS! Did I make myself clear?" leader glared at them.

"Yes Pein-sama!" the Akatsuki chorused.

Pein eyed them once more, suspiciously. "…good. Then I will announce Rika's partner. She'll work with Zetsu."

Rika's shoulders dropped slightly at the announcement. 'Damn, not Kisame…' she thought looking down at her feet. After a while she glanced up at the others. 'Huh? Why do they all look so horrified?' she wondered. An unnerving feeling started spreading out in the base of her stomach… 'Wait, Zetsu's not that bad, …or is he?'

It felt as if someone had just fired a bullet through his heart. 'NOOOOOOO! This can't be happening! This isn't true! It's just a nightmare!' he closed his eyes in silent prayer, fists clenching automatically. But Deidara knew very well that this was his reality, that he had woken up this morning, and that he was definately wide awake.

Kisame growled under his breath, his eyes had turned into slits. 'That bitch! It's all her doing, I just know it!' he looked over at the blue haired woman. 'If something happens to her, you're DEAD!'


	12. Training Session

**Training Session**

"Hajime!"

Two teens stared each other down from opposite sides of a forest clearing. They began circling the area in low fighting stances, waiting for someone to make the first move. The boy couldn't take it anymore, and threw a flurry of shuriken at his opponent. But they were easily dodged by the agile teen in front of him. She was coming closer, so he started to form handsigns. "Great Fireball jutsu!" he roared, sending an enourmous heatwave towards the girl. She lunged in and, while moving her arms in a flowing motion, dispersed the fireball into two smaller ones. The smaller fireballs were then sent back to the boy. He blocked them with another gigantic fireball. The girl tried to come closer again, but he kept her at a distance using various firestyle jutsu's. She was getting tired of running after her opponent, and the technique she used to avert his flames was taking up a lot of her chakra. He noticed little beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. This was the perfect moment to strike. The boy sent some shuriken flying her way as a distraction, giving him enough time to perform a series of handsigns. As she landed on the ground after dodging the shuriken, the girl saw a hurdle of flames coming her way. But it was already too late. In a last attempt to dodge his attack, she bent her torso backwards into a position quite similar to limbo dancing. This made her lose her balance though, and she fell to the ground.

When Rika opened her eyes, Itachi was already towering over her. He had won…again.

"You should have hidden when Kisame gave us the starting sign." Itachi said while helping her up. "You still don't fight like a shinobi… Next time don't take your opponent head-on: use your brains!"

"I told you I wanted to learn ninjutsu, but I never said I wanted to become a shinobi!" Rika seethed back. "A truly strong warrior doesn't need to use sneaky attacks to defeat his enemy! He can beat any opponent in a clean and honest battle! I will not disgrace my honor by sneaking up on my opponent, or attacking them when they are asleep! Only both physically and mentally weak fighters need to resort to cunning means."

"What will you do when your opponents use 'cunning means' in battle? Give them a lecture about honor? If this was a real fight, I would have killed you by now." Itachi replied.

"Now, now, now… We obviously have different opinions on this subject, but there's no need to fight." Kisame tried to reason.

"We're not fighting, we're arguing. Itachi-san's point of view is wrong, because he overlooked a basic point in his reasoning." Rika protested. "I'm not a strong fighter yet. If I were, I would have won from you regardless of how many sneaky moves you'd use." she told Itachi.

* * *

><p>"Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt, but leader has sent us on a mission Rika-chan. You need to get ready right now."<p>

Rika jerked around. And there he was, her partner – the one she'd been avoiding ever since that fatefull day on wich they had been teamed up. She shuddered involuntarily seeing the glint in the Black Zetsu's eye…

"Rika-chan? Are you coming?" White Zetsu asked obnoxiously.

"Eeergh…" 'No! Don't think about it! You're gonna be okay, you're his partner after all…he won't eat you!' Rika told herself. "Yes, ofcourse Zetsu-san!" she turned to Kisame and Itachi, bowing slightly: "Thank you Kisame-sensei, Itachi-san!" , and followed Zetsu to the main base.

* * *

><p>"I really don't get what you see in her, Kisame…" Itachi said when Zetsu and Rika were out of hearing range.<p>

"What do you mean?" his partner questioned.

"I don't understand why you waste your time teaching that pathetic brat." Itachi replied.

"Rika's not pathetic! That kid's got a lot of potential!" Kisame frowned.

"Hn… Now you're defending her too? What is she to you?"

Kisame glared at the boy. "She's my friend!"

"Friend?" Itachi smirked at this statement. "What could you two possibly have in common?"

"You shouldn't judge people on their appearance Itachi. You don't know a thing about her! She's the only normal person around here that I can actually have a conversation with!"

Itachi glared back at his partner. "You have conversations with me too! Are you saying I'm not normal?"

"See: you just proved my point. You all have such huge egos that I can hardly say or ask you anything without getting into a fight! And most of the time everyone wants to be on their own, so I don't have anyone to talk to!" Kisame growled in exasperation.

'Okay, he does have a point.' Itachi thought. 'But only a weak-minded person can't live without communication.' "Hn…" was all that he actually pronounced.


	13. Zetsu's breakfast

**Zetsu's breakfast**

'Great, I'm not only all alone with Him, but it's also a three day's mission! I can't spend three nights without sleep! What should I do!' Rika thought while hopping from branch to branch. Zetsu had decided on travelling underground, ofcourse, for all she knew he might be anywhere! It would be a piece of cake for him to sneak up on her. This situation kind of vaguely reminded her of the 'Hidan-incident'…

* * *

><p>At least Zetsu had the decency to materialize in a tree in front of Rika, instead of from behind her. The girl abruptly came to a halt, tensing up a little.<p>

"We should spend the night here, it's going to get dark soon." the plantlike man told her.

He was right – a blood red sun was hanging low in the sky, as if it was tired from the long summer's day. Settling down to rest it was painting the clouds a soft pink, to match with it's own colour. Two Akatsuki members had laid their possessions down on a soft mossy spot in a thicket. It sure was a good place to sleep: the bushes covered them up perfectly from any enemies or intruders. Nobody would find them here.

Rika rolled over in her sleeping bag again. A soft snoring was audible from a few feet away from her. 'So he does sleep like a normal human being…' she wondered, as she had expected Zetsu to crawl up into a cocoon or something. Rika sat up, and stared some more at her strange teammate. 'Where did he get those leaves on his shoulders from? Could it be the result of using some sort of jutsu?' she looked up at the sky where a thin white sliver was shining brightly. It made her feel safe, and oddly at ease, just gazing at the moon. 'Maybe he was born this way.' Rika held back a torrent of laughter that tried to escape her throat. Suddenly the whole situation seemed freaking hilarious to Rika – her sleep deprived mind searching for at least some means of relaxation.

After a while her eyelids started feeling heavy, and finally Rika closed her eyes. She tried to slap her face, to shake off this drowsyness that was taking control of her. But it was no use to fight it: the long journey and her sparring with Itachi had drained Rika of too much chakra. 'Need to stay awake!' was the last thought that crossed her mind before subconciousness kicked in.

* * *

><p>Zetsu opened his flytrap irritably – seriously, couldn't these damn birds just shut up? It was way too early in the morning! The sun hadn't even come up yet! He rubbed his eyes yawning a little. His partner still lay snoozing in her sleeping bag.<p>

"Damn! How can she sleep through all this noize!" White Zetsu whined in agony.

"Look at the bright side: she'd make a lovely breakfast." Black Zetsu stated 'matter of factly'.

"What! I can't eat my partner!" White Zetsu retaliated.

"Why not? It's not like we need her to complete this mission. It would be even easier without her." Black Zetsu answered in a bored tone.

"I know she'd be tasty, but we can't disobey leader's orders!"

From this statement, Black Zetsu knew that he had his white conterpart on the border. "Come on," he told the White "give in. We both know you want to… Imagine the taste of soft flesh and fresh blood. We haven't eaten human for too long a time now. No other meat can match the heavenly taste of raw human meat! Face it, you're addicted and you'll never get rid of this habit!"

The luring chants slowly started to get to White Zetsu, fogging his mind with both hunger and desire. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this wasn't right, and that he would curse himself over and over later. But right now he had tuned out his superego, and let his basic instincts run free.

"Mmmm…breakfast time!" Zetsu hummed crawling out of his sleeping bag and moving towards Rika.

There she lay, utterly defenseless and unaware of what was about to happen. He unzipped her sleeping bag quietly, so as not to wake her. 'Were do I start? Every piece of her looks so delicious…' Rika was only wearing a sleeveless top and panties. He stroked her bare skin eager to start. Then he leaned his head in, and bit down hard on her right arm.

* * *

><p>"Aaargh!" a strong pain rushed over her entire being as Rika woke right up. She clutched her right arm instinctevly as that part of her body seemed to hurt the most. 'Why does it feel wet?' she thought before bringing her left hand back to her face. 'Blood!' Rika panicked. 'Zetsu! So it is true! …I'm screwed…' the girl closed her eyes, ready to die.<p>

But as time passed by, death never came. Rika was getting more worried by the minute. 'What if he enjoys toying with his prey, and torturing them to no end, just like Hidan?' she gulped. 'This is no good! I can't be afraid of him now, I must fight him!' she opened her eyes again. And, to her surprise, there was Zetsu – sprawled out over the ground next to her, face down. 'Why is he lying there? What's wrong with him?' Rika wondered, slightly releived. When she had gained control over her body again, she edged towards the man. Rika put a hand on Zetsu's back. No reaction. She shook him. No reaction. 'Weird. Could he be…?' She felt his pulse, and suddenly fell back. '…dead?'

After the first shock had worn over, Rika quickly went through her options. She could just leave the guy here. After all, he had tried to eat her! And most likely he'd do it again, provided with the right circumstances. But then again, she knew she couldn't complete the mission without him. And it would certainly be inhumane to just let him die here… So she opted for the last option. Flipping him over, she bent forward and began pressing down on his chest in a steady rhythm – using the little knowledge of medicine she had to her advantage.


	14. What doesn't kill you

**What doesn't kill you…**

When Zetsu regained consciousness he tried to open his eyes. But his eyelids felt so damn heavy that he didn't manage to do so. He attempted at moving his body, yet a strange weakness had paralyzed him. 'What the hell! I've slept well tonight, I can't be that tired…' Then his eyes widened in pure shock: he felt a pair of lips crashing on to his! 'Rika!' but he was too weak to stop her.

Rika pulled back, ready to thrust into Zetsu's chest once again, when she noticed his eyes were open. Her heart skipped a beat, and instantaniously she jumped back. Her face portraying enormous embarassement and fear. "I was giving you mouth-to-mouth!" Rika said in her defense, sitting down on her knees a few feet away from Zetsu, blushing furiously. Zetsu was still eyeing his partner in astonishment. He finally managed to open his mouth, but didn't have the strength to use his vocal chords. So he just lay there, wondering. Rika looked back at the man awkwardly 'What should I do now?'

* * *

><p>And so they sat there, until the sun had reached its maximum in the sky. Rika was getting hungry, but didn't dare to move. She glanced over at her bag wistfully. Maybe if she just crept quietly over to it, Zetsu wouldn't notice… He was just gazing at the sky at the moment.<p>

"..Urghm…" Zetsu roared, sending a shiver down Rika's spine. She dropped dead in her tracks. "Hmm…Rika, what did you do to me!" he continued.

"I,…I was only giving you mouth-to-mouth, because you passed out, and your heartbeat stopped, and…" Rika squeaked in a tiny voice.

"No, no, before that! I'm so weak I can hardly move!" Zetsu interrupted her frantic banter. This news surprised her. It did explain a lot, after all. She was kind of wondering why he had been so still throughout the morning and why he hadn't tried to eat her again. 'But who could have put him into such a condition…? There weren't any enemies lurking around, for this place is way too hard to find! Strange…'

"You should put on some clothes." he said seeing the girl creeping over the mossy ground in nothing but her underwear.

"Oh!" Rika bolted to her bag, and went to hide behind some bushes.

* * *

><p>"She absorbed our chakra." Black Zetsu stated grumpily while Rika was changing.<p>

"Huh?" the White asked.

"I have been analyzing the situation thoroughly, and this is the most logical conclusion I can come up with." the Black elaborated. "You blacked out the moment we bit her, and ever since we have been extremely weak, while the girl is bursting with energy. It makes sense…"

"Wow, no way! I'm not eating her ever again!" the White exclaimed upon hearing this.

"But this jutsu seemes to be controlled by her Sympathetic Nervous System." Black continued.

"What do you mean?" White asked, now totally confused.

"Aargh! Your lack of formal education is appalling! You should read more often!" Black Zetsu groaned. "Let me dumb it down for you. It means that Rika doesn't have control over this jutsu: it happens involuntarily, and most likely only in life threatening situations. As a last resort to stay alive, her body sucks out the enemy's chakra."

Before White could reply, Rika came out of the bushes. "So that's why I've been feeling so fresh this morning! It explains everything!" the girl thought out loud. She had picked up on their conversation at the mentioning of her name.

* * *

><p>Itachi was sitting on a small rock near the main base, watching the last rays of sunlight illuminate the sky. His breathing a bit heavy, forehead sweaty. Sparring with Kisame was a whole lot more intense than fighting the brat. 'Poor thing…' he thought as a slight wave of pity washed over him. Four days had passed, and they hadn't returned yet. That meant Zetsu had probably eaten her, and experienced difficulty in completing the mission on his own. Itachi sighed stroking his bangs out of his face. And he was about to leave when two silhouettes appeared on the horizon. A man and a girl.<p> 


	15. Being a Teenager

**Being a Teenager**

"I'm the most beautiful man alive, hmm! Since my beauty is Everlasting!" the young blonde said batting his eyelashes in a superior fashion, barely containing his amusement. He was sitting at the counter, moving his hands in a ladylike way.

"Shut it Deidara!" an overly enraged Sasori leared at him, only encouraging the boy to go further.

"Look at me! I'm a puppet, I can control you just by the flick of my fingers!" Deidara chanted flaunting his fingers about and proceeding to do the chicken dance across the kitchen.

An angry readhead stood up: this was getting too personal. "Deidara, you're gonna regret this!" he barked marching towards his scampering teammate. The boy was still laughing his head off.

"Sasori, you know it's no use. Just ignore him, and he'll eventually get tired…" an old voice dragged warily. He didn't like to interfere in other people's business, but this scramble was becoming a nuisance. It didn't let him concentrate!

The puppet master dropped in his tracks. "But he's so goddamn annoying! You know how it feels!" Sasori protested. Yes, Kakuzu knew al too well how that felt…having Hidan as a partner was not an easy job. He groaned inwardly. 'At this rate I'll never be able to count my bounty, and I had been looking forward to today!' he complained to himself, rubbing his temples. "Please! Not this early in the morning! Save it for later on, just let me have my breakfast!" the older nin wailed out loud.

Sasori let out a huge sigh, slumping back into his chair. Yet still glaring at the blonde boy who was prancing around gleefully.

* * *

><p>Two profanely red eyes observed the scene from a corner of the room. 'I could have been like that, if not for…' his thoughts dragged out. The boy turned around silencing a howling teapot. After pouring in the hot liquid, he stared down into the pitchblack brew inside his cup. A sad expression wavering over his features. 'So happy, so carefree, so…innocent.' he closed his eyes in sorrow. No matter what he would do, no matter what he would experience later on in life, he knew for certain – he would never forget that night. Itachi opened his eyes again, only to witness Deidara holding up a piece of toast in front of Sasori's face.<p>

"Don't you miss the yummy goodness? Don't you crave it silently at night?" the bomber taunted. "How sad puppets can't eat anything!" Deidara pouted in feigned pity.

Itachi stared at the boy, seeing the epitome of all that was denied to him: a normal teenage life. He tried to remember the last time he had laughed, but couldn't come up with anything… Not one of his trademark smirks he wore to cover up the emptyness inside, but a real fullhearted laugh that seared through his entire soul! No, he hadn't been genuinly happy for a long time…and was beginning to think he never would be. Itachi shut his eyes once more willing upcoming tears to dry as he restated the one thought that kept him going: 'At least Sasuke may experience happiness some day.'

* * *

><p>At that moment a shrill giggle penetrated the room, making most heads turn to where the sound came from. Deidara gasped in horror, his arms falling limp against his body. 'Rika!'<p> 


	16. Good Morning

**Good Morning**

"Hahaha! Deidara-kun, that's hilarious!" Rika exclaimed, grabbing onto the door-post for much needed support. Deidara just stood there, caught on the spot like a young deer in the headlights.

Meanwhile, the man who'd been the butt end of the joke didn't exactly know how to react… On the one hand he liked seeing Deidara utterly supressed, but on the other hand he realised all too well that now Rika was making fun of him. Ridiculing the great puppet master by her impertinent support of Deidara's foolishness! So his facial expression was continually switching from a selfsatisfied grin to an irate glare.

"Oh my dear Dollar! All I asked for was a little peace!" Kakuzu hissed grabbing his sandwich and heading off to the common room. Itachi looked up from his steaming cup of tea. Frankly, all this racket was annoying him to no end – couldn't they just leave him alone and let him muse in self-pity? No, Itachi wasn't going to leave! He had come here first, so it was his right to stay and they had to go!

Sasori growled slightly. There was really no reason for him to stay here any longer. The noise didn't let him read his newspaper, and he couldn't eat anything anyway… 'Stupid Deidara! When will he learn?' He stood up from his seat at the counter, making his way towards the door. One last glance over his shoulder, only to see Deidara's desperately pleeding face: 'Serves him right!' Sasori thought, passing Rika and leaving the kitchen.

Rika stopped to wipe a few tears from her eyes – the laughing fit finally quieting down. "Eum, good morning!" she said smiling self-consciously.

"Good morning." Itachi droned not even looking up from the brick he was staring at. Deidara stepped aside to let the girl pass by, constantly observing her from the corner of his eye.

* * *

><p>After reaching the far end of the room, Rika opened the fridge and started to browse through its contents. 'No, no, no…God no!…mmm, maybe… Eeeww!' her grip considerably tightened on the handle. 'Gotta remind leader to get Zetsu his own fridge!' she quickly closed the fridge door, taking a box of yoghurt with her.<p>

"So, Itachi-san, there was this genjutsu I didn't really get… Could you explain it to me after breakfast?" the girl asked leaning back on the counter while chucking some crunchy cereal into a bowl.

'They just won't leave me alone…will they?' Itachi thought, a little vein above his eyebrows started twitching.

"Uhm, …Itachi-san?" Rika tried again. Like skating on thin ice – you don't know until it cracks… Her obnoxiousness was now seriously testing Itachi's self-control: for his patience was already worn out on Deidara.

"I have other things to do – ask Kisame." Itachi replied coldly.

"Oh, I understand. Thanks anyway!" the girl said shrinking down into a chair. 'Sometimes Itachi can be so unfriendly…actually he doesn't say anything most of the time I hang out with Kisame! What kind of 'other things' could he possibly have to do?' Rika wondered in silence. She took a good look at the guy: dark, nearly blueish bangs covering wonderfull charcoal eyes; a light ivory skin…

"Good Morning Fuckers!"

Itachi guessed it just wasn't his day today…first Deidara, then Rika, and now the king of all idiots in person! "I gotta go tend to my business." Itachi said standing up and placing his cup on the counter. After rubbing his throbbing veins irritably, he left the kitchen.

Hidan marched in happily – so far, this had been a great day for him. And it was only getting better. 'My, that damn Rika looks hot with bed-head. I bet that would look even better in My bed!' he thought eyeing the girl with a predatory gaze. "Hey, Rika-chan, how was your morning?" Hidan asked approaching her from behind.

"Fine." she replied coolly, not even bothering to turn around. Probably that was a great mistake, for now she felt hot breath coming down her neck.

"You look fucking good today…have you been dreaming of me?" a cheeky voice purred into her ear.

"You Idiot!" Rika spun around aiming to hit that 'bastard' real hard where it hurt! But since he was so close, she only ended up bumping into Hidan.

"Easy, easy now, I didn't know you wanted me so badly. Don't worry babe, we've got enough time!" the silver haired man reacted, hugging Rika to his bare chest.


	17. Du bist mein Held

**Du bist mein Held**

'Aah, and she smells nice too…' Hidan noted lowering his head to take in Rika's scent. Something about the smaller girl wrigling and shouting in his grasp turned him on even more. 'Oh! And the sweet pain her bites bring, it's so different from the pain during my rituals…'

"Let Rika-chan go, hm!"

'What was that? Ah, what the hell, she does look cute when she's angry.' Hidan chuckled to himself.

"Let her go! Hm!" This time Hidan looked up, and to his amazement found quite an enraged Deidara.

"But she likes it, don't you see?" the jashinist proclaimed, pulling Rika closer.

"She doesn't, hm! LET HER GO!" Deidara almost roared back at him.

"Listen pal, this was entertaining in the beginning, but now you're starting to bug me – knock it off." Hidan told the boy, only to receive a surprizingly hard punch to the head. And then another one, and another one. "By Jashin, what the fuck's your problem?" he yelled out.

"Leave Rika-chan alone, hm!" the boy cried.

"Why?" Hidan asked, genuinely surprised.

"Because, because – Aargh! Just leave her alone, or I'll blow you up! Hm!" Deidara growled in desperation. Close combat never was his strongest point: his punches didn't seem to have any effect on Hidan whatsoever!

"Wow, is it that important?" Hidan raised an eyebrow.

"Now you've crossed the line, hm!" A well manicured hand reached into a pouch. This set Hidan on the edge: 'Is he really planning on doing it? No, not in the kitchen, he's just bluffing.'

* * *

><p>Meanwhile a wide-eyed Rika was watching the whole scene unfold. She had already given up on struggling, since all her attempts at freeing herself seemed futile. And she knew Kisame would eventually come to her rescue. But Deidara? This was new…and he was acting so differently, so confidently: 'Just like with Sasori this morning…' she replayed the scenario in her head, giggling slightly.<p>

"But she likes it, don't you see?" Rika heard Hidan say, changing her facial expression back to it's previous heated glare.

"She doesn't, hm! LET HER GO!" Deidara shouted. And so their conversation continued for a while: Deidara fuming in anger, Hidan amused and slightly surprised. 'Idiot! Can there be a dumber man on earth? When will he finally understand that I DON'T LIKE HIM!' Rika pondered.

"Aargh! Just leave her alone, or I'll blow you up! Hm!" the girl tuned in to the argument again. 'He's going to use Kibaku Nendo?' Up until now she had only heard of Deidara's speciality, but never actually seen it in action. Well she had seen his clay bird, but that was about it… 'This is becoming interesting!' Rika's pupils dilated, and she watched the blonde in anxious suspense. His right hand reached into the pouch he had strapped to his side. He took something out of the pouch, and opened his palm – a small spider. 'Ah! So he prepares them beforehand, and carries them around in his pouch! Just like ordinary kunai!' Rika mused in pride of her great observation skills. Deidara threw the spider at Hidan, making it increase in size. 'Wait, is he going to explode the kitchen!' Rika thought as a clay spider came flying at her.

* * *

><p>"Let her go or I swear I'll detonate, hm!" Deidara spoke after making the spider climb all the way up to Hidan's head.<p>

Okay, for the record, Hidan isn't stupid – just sex deprived. That's the problem of being in an organization with almost solely males…not to mention being a 'religious man'. Killing for Jashin-sama was fun, that wasn't the problem. He'd just rather…have more time for 'fun' with his victims before sacrificing them… But Jashin-sama wouldn't always let him. So now that Deidara held him at gun-point, Hidan knew protesting was pointless. 'True, Deidara doesn't pose a real threat to me – I'm fucking immortal! – but I'm still not getting lucky today…Kisame should be finishing his bath by now…' So he acted wisely, and let go of the girl. 'The fuck did I do wrong?' Hidan wondered seeing Rika's raging complexion. Looking back at Deidara, he quickly came to the conclusion that leaving the kitchen would be the smartest plan of action.


	18. Unveiled

**Unveiled**

"Thanks." Rika voiced after Hidan had finally left.

"No problem, are you okay? You should report this to leader, Hidan has no right to do this to you! Hmm!" Deidara ranted.

'Wow, that's probably the longest sentence he's ever spoken to me…' Rika thought to herself. "Yeah, I'm fine..." she sighed taking a good look around the kitchen. Suddenly her gaze fell on the ever-present clay creature on the floor. "Cool spider by the way!"

The boy perked up, concern and worry instantly vanishing from his face. "You like my art, hm?"

"I love it! I didn't know you did spiders too." Rika said leaning in closer to observe the sculpture. It was almost alien in nature: surrealistically white with deep gaping black holes for eyes. She wondered if it was actually alive...could it really see, sense and process everything that went on around it?

"Actually, I make all kinds of sculptures, hm." Deidara proclaimed with a proud air. "And every single one of them is special when it gets turned into Art!" he continued while staring down fondly at his little creation.

"Huh?" Rika turned around to face him. "Isn't it already art?" she asked slightly confused.

Two blonde eyebrows raised to form a blank expression. Then, slowly but certainly, a grin moved its way up to Deidara's cheeks. Wild sparks flashing furiously through his bluish eyes.

"Step back, hm."

Now more confused than ever, Rika shuffled away from the creature, eyeing a neurotic Deidara suspiciously. Something was clearly off in him – maybe it was the weird glint in his eyes she had never seen before…

* * *

><p>"Katsu!"<p>

* * *

><p>Instantaneously, the whole kitchen lit up in a blaze of more than thirty different shades of red. It was a magnificent sight to behold: joy, passion, happiness all radiated around the room engulfing both teenagers in a warm haze. The spider had gone, not leaving a single trace to hint its existence. After the haze had settled, it was just like nothing had happened at all.<p>

"Wow, ...it's beautiful..." Rika uttered in sheer amazement.

"This is real Art, hm!" the bomber proceeded to explain. "Something so short lived, that it becomes the most valuable thing in the world: an Explosion!" A little pause of silence sifted through the air between them. "Same goes for life, actually… There's no point in living if you never die, hmm" Deidara added somewhat pensively.

"Why? I think it's a shame people have to die!" Rika cried out furiously.

"Because if people would live forever, life wouldn't mean anything to them! Why admire something that will exist until eternity, hm?" Deidara rebuffed.

"Life can never get boring! Nothing is constant in this world: everything is constantly changing around us! Every day something new is created or discovered… Isn't it a pity that we have to miss out on all the exciting events that are to happen after our death?" Rika argued.

Deidara didn't really know what to think of that… She hadn't exactly attacked his view on art, but she hadn't supported it either… 'Why would she want to live forever?' he mauled it over and over in his mind, and just couldn't understand. 'Everything becomes boring when it's endured for too long – eventually even the most exciting events will get dull if you live long enough.' Rika's statement sounded somewhat stupid to him. After a good pause, he finally said: "Ofcourse every artist is entiteled to their own opinion on art…"

"What do you mean?" Rika asked – not having the faintest clue as to what he was getting at.

"Well, I respect your view as a fellow artist, but – "

"Artist? I'm not an artist, where did you get that idea?" Rika interrupted.

"You know…when we first met…you were dancing…" Deidara tried to explain.

"Oh, that! That's just a hobby!" she smiled letting her eyes turn into arcs. "Art isn't that important to me – I'm more of a fighter!"


	19. Rising affections?

**Rising affections?**

" 'Tachi," soft brown hair swept over the bedsheets as she propped herself up on her elbows. The first rays of sunlight illuminated her face, giving Itachi no other choice than to look up at her with dreamy eyes.

"Mm?" he asked tangling his fingers in that lush hair of hers. Exctasy swooning over his body at that heavenly feel of skin-to-skin. 'She's so beautiful…' he couldn't help thinking as his mind drifted away to make place for intense desire.

"I love you." she said ever so softly, a sound only girls could make, looking down at his lying form with half-lidded eyes. She smiled. At times like this, the only thing he wanted to do was hold her, and never let go! To stay like this forever…

"I love you too, Rika…"

"Mrgh." an irritable grunt escaped his throat as he stretched out on the hard matress, pulling at his lumpy old dustbug-filled pillow. Two sleep-ridden eye-lids slowly elevated to provide him with a foggy vision. He rubbed the slumber out of his eyes as gently as his morning-mood would let him – only to wake up to a grey, somber air. Tugging the curtains apart slightly, he looked out of the window. "Urgh…" he muttered falling back on the bed. 'Clouds again!' Slowly, he made his unwilling body sit up, and wanted to drag himself out of bed when…the dream! It was like lightning had struck him: in a split second a million thoughts raced through his brain. As he sat down on the corner of his bed and rubbed his temples in a steady pace, the only thing Itachi could think of was: 'Why?'

Itachi hugged his cloak closer around himself as he stepped out into the cool morning chill. "Ah! Itachi-san, you finally made it!" a cocky voice chuckled from a nearby rock.

He glared at the direction where the voice had come from. "You're early today, Rika-chan."

A long brown plait swooshed through the air as a black-cloaked figure landed with a thud. Two eyes matching the colour of the sky stared back at him viciously, underlined by a challenging smirk. "I couldn't wait to kick your ass! Let's start, it might take a while before Kisame gets here."

"Hn. You think you can beat me today?" Itachi said with an apathetic look of disdain on his face.

"Bring it on!"

The raven gave her a bored look. "You're lucky I'm not using genjutsu."

* * *

><p>"Rrragh!" Rika roared dashing at her sparring partner with a wave of fire. Yet he quickly stepped to the side and avoided her attack fully. Keeping up with her pace was easy: all her movements, they were way too slow. He didn't even need sharingan to see through them. 'Pathetic…' Itachi thought dodging yet another one of her misplaced attacks. Suddenly the girl brought both hands up to her chin, letting out a torrent of fire from her mouth.<p>

"That's an Uchiha technique!" Itachi bawled out after barely escaping the blow.

"See, I told you it was possible use the element of surprise in a fair battle!" Rika cooed.

"You have no right to use that technique!" Itachi fumed in anger.

"What will you do when your opponents use this technique in combat? Give them a lecture about your dead clan?" Rika teased.

Almost instantly she felt the sharp end of a kunai in the back of her neck. "Pay attention to your surroundings, instead of bragging off someone else's techniques!" a low voice rasped in her ear.

"You did kawarimi while dodging my last attack?" she questioned.

"Combined with a shadow clone: I've been up in that tree all this time." Itachi answered from behind her.

"Impressive… But you know this isn't the end Itachi-san." Rika replied pulling off her right glove… Only to be pushed down onto the ground with the kunai pressed deeper into her neck.

"It Is Over." a stern voice stated. "I know your weakness: you need physical contact to drain my chakra. While I can kill you this very instant without even touching your skin!"

Resting on a rock, Itachi swiped his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. 'Her techniques are still basic, but the brat has definitely gotten stronger…' he thought watching the girl as she sat on her knees just a few metres away from him. All the grass within a three foot radius of her had turned yellow, waning away lifelessly. Rika lifted her hands from the ground, putting her gloves back on. "Ready for another round, ne Itachi-san?" she laughed jolting up energetically and observing his exhausted form. Sure, the ability to absorb chakra had its benefits…


	20. Autumn comes, the summer is past

**Autumn comes, the summer is past**

_Dear Tsunade,_

_How are you doing? Have you really become Hokage? – never thought you were interested in that position… We haven't spoken in ages, we should really catch up some time! Anyway, since you're back in Konoha, I wanted to ask you a favour: It's rather embarassing, but my daughter ran away from home… Could you please check if there isn't any shinobi or academy student named 'Rika' under your ranks? Thanks in advance!_

_Best regards,_

_Akira_

* * *

><p>Deidara was lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling: he couldn't fall asleep, thoughts were racing vigorously through his tired mind. Right now he'd give anything to be able to stop thinking, just for once! He scratched his scalp in frustration. It was like a wall had crumbled down on him, shattering all his beliefs and letting his dreams fall to pieces… 'Just a HOBBY? Art?' Was that all art meant to Rika…? Nothing but shallow entertaintment to wear off the tension of day-to-day life? He couldn't believe it…he didn't want to believe it! But the little voice in his head wouldn't let him deceive himself, wouldn't let him overlook this. He let out a steam of air through his nostrills. The one thing he knew for sure was suddenly rendered uncertain… 'Did I ever love her?'<p>

* * *

><p>A magical white orb was illuminating the dark night, outshining all the other little specs of light that peered through the black. The first cloudless night in a while now, since the ground was still wet… A slight shuffling sound was audible as feet moved their way through the thick layer of fallen leaves. 'A full moon…' thought the owner of the two booted feet. A sigh, and then again shuffling as the person kept on walking. '…the only thing I have left…' again two sad eyes glanced up at the sky. 'Wherever I go, wherever I will be, at least the moon will always be with me…' Images of a happy childhood, loving parents, and a peacefull village flashed through her mind. Rika stopped in her tracks and bent her head up to get a better look.<p>

"Hurry up, we must reach the bridge before sunrise!" White Zetsu suddenly popped up from out of a nearby tree.

"Yeah, yeah, I know! I can't move as fast as you!" the girl retorted in an irritated tone.

"You could if you'd stay focused on the mission." Black Zetsu's cold voice monotoned. A shudder ran over Rika's spine – 'That voice!' she quit protesting, and instantly obeyed.

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you when we get there!" White Zetsu's encouraging voice added before the plant-man dissipated into the ground.

* * *

><p>"Wow Konan, you were right, that kid is strong indeed…" Rain poured down interminably on the metal roof. "…to have made it this far…" Nagato continued, not noticing the angry look his partner was giving him.<p>

"She did get help from Kisame." the blue-haired woman sternly reminded.

"But still, I expected her to die on us…" a man with shoulderlong red hair said whilst staring in the distance. His sickly frail and thin figure pierced by countless iron bars. She hated seeing him like this, in so much pain…but there was little she could do… "You know, the funniest thing is, I almost thought you wanted her to die when you told me to pair her up with Zetsu. Guess I was wrong…"

Konan opened her mouth to say something, but reconsidered and the words never came. She followed Nagato's gaze to meet a dim, dreary Amegakure – crying as always… 'Why does he insist on staying here?' she wondered looking back at Nagato with longing eyes. She wondered if she should tell him, if now was the right moment… She hesitated, going through every line in his features, looking for answers. 'No, not today.'

"Shall I go then?" Konan asked.

Lavender coloured eyes pierced the dimly lit room. "Yes, I'd like you to supervise the Takeshi mission."

Konan only nodded in response as she turned around and left.


	21. Fangirls

**Fangirls**

Warm sunlight grazed over the houses making the rooftops shine and giving the town an overall dazzling appearance. Children played in the streets, vendors went about their business – the town was a bustling network of life, fuelled by the energy and desire of its citizens. And amidst all of this, a girl dressed in a plain blue kimono that reached down to her ankles was walking through the main street. Life was rushing on around her, people yelling, people shouting. Yet she kept on walking calmly, like she had no duties whatsoever: wholly detached from the world. A small eating-house caught her eye.

"Can I have a bowl of Miso soup please?" she asked the old lady behind the counter after entering the café.

"Why sure, my dear." the lady gestured at her kindly while pouring in the steaming hot liquid. Sitting down at the counter, the girl was blowing over a spoonfull of soup in order to cool it down. "How come the town is in such a festive mode today?" she asked a little absentmindedly. She was right: the town was decorated with countless lanterns, paper snakes and dragons were hanging from the rooftops, and layers of confetti covered the ground. The people too, seemed happier than usual: workers were humming under their breath, vendors uncommonly pleased with reluctant customers, and customers excitedly talking amongst themselves.

"Ah, you're not from this area, are you?" the old lady asked her fondly.

"No, I'm just passing through." she smiled back.

The woman looked her deep in the eye and replied: "A great young man, a hero to our village, is returning home today! Not only is he renowned for his courage and strength in battle, but he's also a good and honourable man with a kind heart. He's heir to a vast fortune too…" the woman trailed off when she saw her customer's expression. A light rosy blush had krept it's way over the girl's face, her eyes stared dreamily out of the window.

"Don't get your hopes up, he's already married." the granny warned her young companion. Both eyebrows raised in a short moment of wonder, only to be quickly replaced by a sad look and the girl looked down in her soup. "Oh..." she muttered.

* * *

><p>"Michi! How often do I have to tell you this? You can't have friends over during working hours! If you girls aren't going to order anything, then LEAVE!" the old lady bawled out at a group of young teenaged girls who were casually hanging around at the other end of the counter.<p>

"I'm so sorry Kaede-sama, it will not happen again!" the girl in the white apron shrieked while bowing profusely. She gave her two friends an exasperated look, but they didn't seem to get the hint, and continued babbling on cheerfully. Just when Michi was about sure she was going to get fired, a voice came from the other end of the counter.

"Excuse me, can I have the check please?" a girl clad in blue asked the café owner, who diligently complied and ceased her rant. Michi sighed inwardly, 'That was close!' she looked over at her best friends. 'I swear, sometime they'll be the end of me!'

* * *

><p>"Here you go dear," Kaede beamed as she gave the girl her change.<p>

"Thank you! That was delicious!" her faithfull customer replied about to leave, but then reconsidering. "Euhm…this may sound weird…but…" hope was edged in her voice. "…maybe…your town hero would be interested in a…second wife?"

"Him? No! Yaru is very devoted to his wife – he really loves her!" the café owner managed to say before she was interrupted by a wild squeel.

"YARU! Yaruu Takeshiii!" the three girls from the other side of the counter wailed out loud. An entirely deprimated Kaede just face-palmed while the girl in blue raised an eyebrow at three rabid girls that were approaching her. They should've been about fourteen years old, by the look of it…one blonde, one violet haired girl and a brunette came storming at her.

"If you wanna know about Yaru, then you're at the right place!" the violet adressed her first.

"Yeah! Everyone who loves Yaru is a friend of us!" the blonde continued almost sticking her head into the customer's face. While the brunette continued to blush profusely, and produced a booklet from out of her apron. "We…uhm…made a databook on Yaru-kun!" she said in a little voice.

"Isn't he just HANDSOME?" the violet squeeled while shoving a certain page of the book into the other girl's eyes. When the three younger girls had quieted down a bit, the older could finally see the picture: a rather extraordinary looking young man appeared before her. Masculine jaw-line, pale skin, short smooth black hair and bright midnight blue eyes flashed on the page. A serious expression, but nevertheless kind eyes gazed back at her.

"Yaru Takeshi, lord Takeshi's oldest son and heir to the Takeshi clan! He just had his twentieth birthday in June! Oh, don't you just love older guys?" the blonde fell in.

"Yeah…we all know how you 'love' older guys…" the violet sniggered.

At this the blonde put both hands on her hips and glared back menacingly at her friend: "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know pretty well… You see," the violet proceeded to explain their newfound friend "Aiko here slept with his younger brother, because he promissed he'd accquaint her with Yaru!"

The blonde nearly burst out in tears "You promissed that you'd never tell anybody!"

"You're a BAKA! You should've seen it coming, he's a playboy for God's sake!" the violet retorted while Michi desperately tried to console a weeping Aiko. "Yaru is pretty close with his younger brother, but they have like totally opposite personalities. You can't trust his brother with anything!"

"Rumours have it that Lord Takeshi disowned his youngest son…" Michi added thoughtfully while gently patting Aiko on the back.

"That's why Takeshi-sama's so hard on Yaru! Forcing him to marry that ugly bitch!" the violet broke in again before flipping over some pages and showing a picture of a young woman. Dark brown, nearly black hair; tiny hazel eyes; a little flat button nose and tanned skin. Nothing special.

"But, doesn't he love his wife…?" the older girl asked a little confused.

"Nuh-uh! His dad only made him marry her 'cause she's from a well known clan! He can have any girl in the world – why would he love this mouse?" violet answered. "Furthermore, they have separate bedrooms! He claims that it's due to his respect for her, but we know better…" she continued grinning smugly.

Meanwhile Kaede sighed from her seat behind the counter. "Stupid girls…"

* * *

><p>An odd figure gazed over the rooftops wich were illuminated by the last rays of sunlight. From the hill where he stood he had a perfect view of the festive town: hundreds of paper lanterns went on one by one. He turned his head to see a girl dressed in a plain blue kimono walk up to him.<p>

"Did you manage to get any info on the target Rika-chan?" the strange man asked her.

"Don't worry Zetsu-san, I bet I got something you couldn't." the girl in the kimono replied.

"Good, then we should head back. The assault team is waiting for us."


	22. Valuable Intel

**Valuable Intel**

"Here, have a surimi roll." Kisame offered picking up a piece with his chopsticks.

Making a tiresome face, Rika nearly groaned back from her mat: "Why do we HAVE to eat sushi EVERY single day?" She shifted so that her head was resting in her hands, and let the exhaustion of the day wash over her body. The girl streched her legs and gazed into the warm crackling fire. 'Perhaps Deidara was right…some things in life are only interesting because they are so fleeting…' she turned to the plate of sushi again, wishing it to disappear. Even the best sushi gets tedious if one eats it too often…

Kisame nudged her jokingly: "You must eat _something_ after a whole day of stakeout." Rika looked up to find him grinning sarcastically. Just as she was about to retort, Zetsu came out of his tent, drawing everyone's attention: "Kisame-san, I really thought you'd be the last person who'd willfully devour fish…" the white half inquired as the plantman made his way towards the pair.

Kisame raised an eyebrow at his colleague's remark. "What are you implying?" at the mere sight of Kisame's frowning face, Rika instinctively sunk back in her seat. Her friend could go on and on about how "all Akatsuki members have catastrophically huge ego's", but she knew very well that the only person allowed to mention his sharklike appearance – apart from himself, that is – was Itachi…

"Well, aren't you related to them, …one way or another?" White Zetsu continued with a nonchalant air, observing his conversation partner attentively.

Kisame smirked at that, and took the freak before him in from head to toe. "That's really funny…shouldn't I be asking you that question – concerning your cannibalistic tendencies?" White Zetsu started, and after a long pause he looked down shamefully. "Don't be so hard on yourself," Kisame continued when he had regained his good humour. "I'll tell you why I have no problem with eating sushi at all!" Zetsu looked up, curiousity overpowering every muscle in his body again. Kisame raised his right index finger, as though about to reveal an extremely valuable long forgotten hidden wisdom. "Sharks eat other fish!" he laughed triumphantly, chucking the piece of sushi down his throat.

"Moron! When will you finally stop embarrassing me with your stupid questions?" Black Zetsu growled resting his forehead in his hand. "I can't take you anywhere with me!"

"But you wouldn't tell me why! – I had to ask!" the White huffed in his defence.

While the two Zetsu's continued arguing on in the background, Kisame turned to see Rika emptying her plate. "Ah, you finally did come to your senses?" He only got a sour scoul as reply.

"By the way, Kisame," Rika started while chewing on her last piece of crabby goo, "where is Itachi-san…?"

* * *

><p>He could hear the laughter, the happy chatting, and even worse – he could smell the food! Closing his eyes was no use, it didn't let him escape reality. So Itachi lifted his eyelids once more to watch the warm welcoming lights of their camp. Something inside him hated the things he did, wanted to be out there in the middle of the crowd – cracking jokes, or listening to others… And yet he was here, fifty metres away, in utter silence. 'I don't deserve to be happy.' he repeated to himself, averting his gaze from the scene.<p>

That was when a swift swooshing sound emerged from the darkness of the woods. Without a second thought, Itachi activated his sharingan and started scanning the surrounding area. With slow, stealthy steps he crouched towards the campfire.

* * *

><p>"Sssshh…" a low hush revealed itself from some nearby bushes. "…I think I heard something…" came the voice again, before an asian male appeared from out of the greenery.<p>

"Itachi, you don't have to be on duty when Zetsu-san is around… I'm sure if something happens he'll be the first to know…" Kisame said eyeing a sleepdeprived and slightly psychotic looking teenager sceptically.

"We shinobi must always be on our guard! Especially at night!" Itachi insisted in a hushed tone. With his eyes darting from face to face, feverishly scanning the perimeter, he certainly looked like a mad man to Rika. "Hi, Itachi-san, …you must be hungry…" she was about to propose him a surimi roll, when Kisame gave her one of his stern looks. 'Seriously! You're not my dad!' Rika wanted to shout right there, right then.

"I am controlling the area around us – it's perfectly fine. I'm sure what you heard was just an owl or something." Black Zetsu reassured the frantic boy. Quite a bit relieved by this statement, Itachi rubbed his forehead and turned around. "But Itachi-san, it's good you're here – I was about to give you my report." Zetsu urged on, making the boy halt in his tracks.

* * *

><p>"So, as I was saying, our target is heavily guarded as it is, – " Black Zetsu told as he kept on pacing back and forth. While his little audience was snuggled up in warm blankets around the fire, ears wide in story-telling mode. Yes, they had even managed to tuck Itachi in a fuzzy brown plaid and make him sip a hot cup of tea. Rika glanced sideways at the boy, he did remind her more of a human being now. Although he was listening to Zetsu's findings too, his mind still seemed to be somewhere else – he was even sitting a bit further from the rest of them. 'Why does he push himself so hard?' Rika asked herself.<p>

"but with this festival going on the security is sharpened to the max." Zetsu went on.

"So then why can't we wait until the festival is over?" Kisame interrupted.

"Yes, wouldn't that be more logical?" Rika butted in. 'I swear, why does that brat always need to have the last word?' Itachi groaned internally. 'She learns a few jutsu, and thinks she's a 'Warrior'…Hn…ignorant little girl…'

"Because our client needs us to take care of the target as soon as possible. Besides, with so many tourists in town they will have a harder time tracing the links back to Akatsuki." Zetsu answered.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kisame. 'Come on, …wasn't that obvious? Okay, the brat wouldn't get it, but you?' he shook his head in dismay.

When Zetsu's report was over, Kisame stood up from the little log he had been sitting on. "So if I understand you correctly, our target is a heavily guarded man that should be taken down swiftly and pin-pointedly. We will only get one chance to do this, at most. Chances are, we won't even be able to get close to him at all…"

"We don't have a choice, we need to kill him one way or another. Akatsuki's reputation depends on it." Black Zetsu replied.

It was silent for quite a while, as each member was mauling over their options in his mind. "What if we get him at night?" Itachi suddenly proposed.

Kisame frowned: "And what about his wife? We don't need any witnesses…" they all fell silent again.

"Wait! That's a brilliant idea Itachi-san!" Rika exclaimed jumping up from her little carpet and running around with her head bent upwards.

"…Eergh…Rika? Are you allright?" Kisame asked the lunatic young girl. For it was such a weird sight: she was running around and screaming "Is it still full moon? …No? …Yes? …Look! For God's sake tell me, is there a full moon?"


	23. Illusion

**Author's Note:** It's weird...lately it takes so long for this site to load! Are you guys having any of these problems? Oh well, here's another chapter of _Life with the Akatsuki:_

* * *

><p><strong>Illusion<strong>

"Rika, calm down!" Kisame said as he planted both arms on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye. The sight of such a calm, steady, and yet concerned face seemed to relax the girl a bit as she started catching her breath.

"…I…I meant that…an attack at night is the best idea." Rika managed to utter between breaths.

Now this got the little group interested. "How so?" Kisame asked when he was sure Rika had stabilized herself.

"Ha! I told you I got some information you couldn't get!" the girl stated triumphantly while pointing an accusatory index finger at Zetsu. The Black just raised an eyebrow at this and gave her an unimpressed look, while the White looked quite a bit offended… "The matter is," Rika continued, "that Yaru Tak –"

"SSHhht! Don't mention the target's name aloud!" Itachi immediately interrupted.

"Okay, okay, don't be so paranoid!" Rika coaxed raising her hands in a protective manner. "So…the _target_ has a special agreement with his wife. As you already know they have separate bedrooms, but there's more to it: she never visits him on nights when there is a full moon!"

There was a little silence after this magical announcement as three pairs of eyes observed Rika critically. "…are you sure this is solid information Rika-chan?" Zetsu finally decided to ask. "Yes, it's kind of…personal… How did you get it?" Kisame added.

"Oh, there were these very nice girls, and they knew so much about him – "

"We can't base our attack strategy on rumours." Itachi cut Rika off again.

"But they're not rumours! It's ALL true!" Rika insisted stamping her foot to the mossy ground. While the other three Akatsuki just sighed…they had nothing. No valuable intel and no idea of how to carry out their assignment effectively.

* * *

><p>"Wait, what about genjutsu?" Kisame suddenly proposed.<p>

Itachi eyed him quizzically: "What about it?"

"Well, couldn't you just put his wife under a paralyzing genjutsu?" the hidden Mist's missing nin replied.

"That is a possibility, but it can only last for a short amount of time. I'll need my Sharingan to get both of us in unnoticed – I'm not sure if I'll have enough chakra left to keep up another illusion." Itachi frowned, "What about Samehada?"

Two sparkly yellowish eyes lit up and a grin emerged on Kisame's face as he turned to get a look at his beloved sword. "Mmm…Samehada… I like your way of thinking Itachi…"

* * *

><p>Bright lights, excited movement and drunken singing overwhelmed the whole town in a bustle of fresh activities. For Yaru, the honourable heir to the Takeshi clan, had returned home! So now that the official ceremony was over, and the Takeshi household had modestly retreated inside their home to celebrate Yaru's return in their own fashion, the ordinary folk had gone wild! Finally they had a good excuse to get heavily wasted under badass music, and party 247. The sight of an occasional tourist here and there wasn't unusual in the least, tourists were even welcomed – the more the merrier! That's why no one cared to look up when a young boy and his guardian entered the village. No one cared to stop them, or question their motives… And why should they? Just another dark haired teanager and an – albeit a little strange looking – thirtysomething. Ofcourse it also helped that the pair wore considerably ordinary clothes, which allowed them to mingle and utterly melt into the croud. And yet if there was an objective observer present at that point in time, he would have noticed many differences… Unlike most other people in the village that night, neither one of the two men wore a smile upon his face. If any expression could be registered at all, it would be one of solid determination – not what you'd expect at a party like this one. Furthermore, it seemed as though they weren't busy with the celebrations at all! It was like they were moving through the hollering masses, as if they had some other goal in mind.

* * *

><p>"Oi, where do you think you're going?" the guard blinked as he saw a young raven haired boy step one foot on the compound. 'Must be one of those little punks who just drank their first beer…' he thought, and muttering "I hate my job!" under his breath, he advanced forward to apprehend the young lad.<p>

But surprisingly the boy turned around calmly, having quite a sober look on his face. "To the Takeshi mansion." he simply stated.

At first a bit taken aback by the response he'd got, the guard quickly regained his composure: "At two o'clock in the night? I don't think so."

Just as he was about to grab the kid, the intruder procured a paper from his pocket. "I have authorization."

"Do you think I'm an idiot? No one is permitted to visit Lord Takeshi at such a late hour!" the guard bursted out in anger. This punk was getting on his nerves…was this some kind of lame prank his co-workers decided to pull on him?

Yet the teenager insisted, and pushed the paper further into the guard's face: "Please read this document."

'What the Hell, I'll give it a shot…' the guard decided. 'Maybe that will help me get rid of him…' and he let his eyes wander over the piece of paper. Only to be devastatingly shocked a second later…

There it was: an official entrance permission, unmistakeably signed by Lord Takeshi himself! The guard blinked, unsure if what he saw before his own eyes was even real. If he were a gullible guy, he'd have to pinch himself right now… He looked at it again. No, it was really there! This boy really had an entrance permit!

"I'll be on my way then." the teenager said turning away from the astonished guard, who continued gaping at him untill he had completely dissappeared out of sight.

* * *

><p>"Heh, nice work Itachi. You sure you don't need a break? I could take it from here." a smug voice escaped the void.<p>

"I doubt it. You still need me to get out of here." another voice surfaced. "And don't mention my name!" the speaker continued with a hiss.

"Okay, calm down! …I think this is it." the first voice sounded again as two figures came to a stand still before a large wooden sliding-door.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it." the smaller figure said, earning him a glare from the taller one – who ultimately grabbed the handle and thrust the door to the side.

Then – nothing…the two figures stared out into the void, dumbstruck.

* * *

><p>She sighed as she made her way through the bar, hopelessly trying to avoid bumping into another drunken man. 'Why do they need to be so disgusting?' she wondered. 'Can't they have fun without booze? They're ruining it for the rest of us!' Groaning, she let her bum drop on one of the barstools, absentmindedly fidgetting with her flowy dark green hair. "Give me a Soda!" she yelled at the bartender, attempting to overpower the overly loud noize they call music these days.<p>

"Excuse me, I think this lady here wants a soda." The girl abruptly turned around as a deep and pleasant voice came from behind her. And there he was: hair black as the night, eyes blue as the sea, on a surprisingly pale skin…

"Yaru?" she watched him with a bewildered gaze, completely forgetting about the soda glass now standing on the counter before her.

"I wish…my older brother is such a celebrity…" the man before her replied, still gazing deeply into the girl's hazel eyes. "I'm Yura, Yaru's younger brother. But me and my bro are very close…I could accquiant you to him if you wanted me to…"


End file.
